Means for supporting a bow or the like



Feb. 9, 1965 w. GOERTZEN 3,153,971

mums FOR SUPPORTING A BOW OR THE LIKE Filed Aug. 30. 1961 United States Patent Ofilice 3,l8,97l Patented Feb. 9, 1965 3,1t33371 MEANS FOR SUPFURTKNG A BGW OR THE LHKE ll/iliiam Goertzen, F0. Box 27, Wasco, (Calif. Filed Aug. 30, 1961, Ser. No. 135,614 1 Claim. (El. 224-1) This invention relates to means for supporting sporting equipment, and more particularly, to a device adapted to fully support a bow adjacent a sportsmans body.

Various devices have heretofore been suggested for use in supporting sporting equipment. Some of such devices take the form of a sling, other of such devices take the form of a pocket or the like, and still other of such devices take the form of a shelf-type rest. Although the particular devices and means previously suggested may function to advantage under certain conditions, there remains a need for an eflicient and inexpensive device adapted to support an archers bow adjacent the body of the archer, and accordingly the present invention has as its primary object the provision of a device which will satisfy such need.

Still a further primary object of the present invention is to provide a bow holder whichis so designed that it can be fabricated by molded plastic techniques, and in addition, which is so designed as to fully support a bow whereby both of the sportsmans hands are free for desired use.

An additional, even further, and important object of the present invention is to provide a bow holder conforming with the preceding objects and. having the support components thereof so arranged that a sportsman can with one hand readily and easily grasp the handle section of the bow and remove the same from the holder.

Yet other, still further, but more specific objects of the present invention are: (a) to provide a bow holder conforming with all of the preceding objects which is adapted to be fastened toa sportsmans belt and conform to the contour of his hip or Waist so as to be comfortable in use; (b) to provide such a bow holder which, although preferably fabricated from plastic, can be fabricated from any suitable material inexpensively; (c) to provide such a bow holder which comprises a rear plate-like portion and spaced apart arms joined at their base to the platelike portion and extending in spaced relation adjacent the face of the plate-like portion whereby a bow is supportable between the arms and the plate-like portion; (:2) to provide such a bow holder wherein the arms are spaced apart by at least the Width of the users hand, and wherein the plate-like portion is provided with a recess aligned with the space between the arms so that the users hand can be placed between the arms and within the recess to readily grip the handle section of a bow and remove it from the holder; (2) to provide such a bow holder wherein the arms serve in effect assprmg-t'ype gripping means adapted to press against and maintain the bow releasably fixed within the holder; and to pro vide such a bow holder wherein the spacing between the respective arms and the face of the plate-like portion to which they are coupled is adjusted so as to accommodate thinner and thicker or wider and narrower portions of the handle section of a bow.

I The invention lies in the construction and arrangement of the various members, portions, sections, and parts of the holder provided hereby, and will be better under stood after consideration is given to the following detailed description. Such description refers to the preferred and illustrative embodiment of the invention presented in the annexed drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the bow holder provided hereby, and presents the same as it would appear when supported on a sportsmans belt;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional View taken on the line 2+2 of FIGURE 1 and presents the arrangement and disposition of one of the arms of the holder with respect to the rear portion thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a section view taken on the line 33 of FIGURE 1 and presents the disposition and arrangement of the other arm of the bow holder with respect to the rear portion thereof; and

FIGURE 4 is a top end view of the holder shown in FIGURE 1, FEGURE 4 presenting most clearly the arched construction of the rear portion of the holder adapting the same to conform to the Waist or hip contour of the user.

The holder, which is generally designated in the drawings by the numeral 2, preferably comprises an integral body including a rear portion 4 and a pair of arms 6 and 3 curved rearwardly at the base thereof and joining with the base of the rear portion The rear portion 4 is arched transversely of the vertical axis thereof to conform to the waist or hip contour of the sportsman. The vertical axis is shown in phantom and designated as A in FIGURE 1, as well as in FlGURE 4. However, FIG- URE 4 best presents the arched contour of such portion.

The arms 6 and 3, as best shown in FEGURES 2 and 3, extend in spaced relation to the front face it of the rear portion 4, and the respective. arms 6 and 8 are laterally spaced apart by a distance D at least substantially as great as the width of a users hand. The rear portion 4 has a recess or open section 12 between the end sections thereof, and by virtue of this open section, and the spacing between the respective arms 6 and 8, a users hand can be readily placed on the handle section of a bow disposed within the holder.

Of course, the open section or recess 12 terminates in spaced relation to the top edge 14 of the rear section 4. As shown, the recess or open section 12 is preferably. of inverted U-shape so as to facilitate fabrication, and in addition present an attractive appearance.

The rear portion 4 of the holder 2 is. provided with means for coupling the holder to a sportsmans garment. As best shown in FlGURE 1, slots 13 and 2b are provided in the rear portion in the upper corner thereof whereby the sportsmans belt, generally designated by the numeral 22 can be passed through the respective slots in conventional manner so that the holder is supported on such belt.

As suggested above, the holder 2 is preferably formed as an integral body from a suitable plastic material, such as, for example, polystyrene, or suitably adapted polyethylene. Notwithstanding the fact that plastic construction is preferred, and constitutes an important aspect of the present invention, it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the holder pro vided hereby can be formed from other. suitable materials without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

in FIGURE 1, the handle section of a bow disposed within the holder is shown in phantom. The bow is generally designated by the letter B and the handle sec tion thereof is generally designated by the letter H. In accordance with conventional construction, the handle section H includes as'shown, a left portion which is narrower than the right portion. In other words, the handle section H includes portions of differing thicknesses or widths.

To accommodate and positively grip the handle section by the letter H and is shown in phantom as disposed Within the holder and gripped between the arm 6 and the rear portion 4. In FIGURE 3, the right portion of the handle section H is shown in phantom and designated by the letter H. Portion l is substantially thickerthan portion H and the arm 8 is thus spaced further from the front face it? of the rear portion 4 of the holder so as to accommodate the portion H" as ShOWn.

While the differential spacing between the respective arms and the rear portion 4 is provided in a holder constructed in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, it should be understood that the holder can, in certain instances, be constructed without providing for such differential spacing, i.e. in instances where the handle section H has portions of uniform thickness, or substantially uniform thickness, to be gripped by the respective arms 6 and 8.

The base portions 6' and 8 of the respective arms 6 and 8 preferably have a generally semi-circular contour adapted to generally conform with the contour of the handle portions disposed thereadjacent when the bow is carried within the holder. Moreover, the arms 6 and 8 preferably have outwardly flared upper ends 6 and 8" respectively. The outward flaring of the upper ends not only permits ready removal of a bow disposed within the holder, but in addition serves to provide a guide when a user desires to place a bow within the holder.

To rephrase the terminology, the holder, which is generally designated in the drawings by the numeral 2, preferably comprises an integral U-shaped plate member arched transversely of the vertical axis thereof comprising an upper portion 3t) having slots 18 and 2t) and a contiguous lower portion 31. The lower portion 31 comprises a pair of spring arms 6 and 8, curved forwardly to form Umhaped arms. U'shaped arm 6 comprises a forward leg 32 and a rear leg 33 and a bight 34 connecting said legs. U-shaped arm 8 comprises forward leg 35, a rear leg 36 and a bight 37 connecting said legs. The forward legs 32 and of the U-shaped arms 6 and 8, as best shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, extend in spaced relation to the rear legs 33 and 3e, respectively, and the bight 34 of the arm 6 is of a smaller dimension than the corresponding bight 37 of arm 8 so as to generally conform with the contour of the bowv handle. The bights 3d and 37 of U-shaped arms 6 and 8 are so located on the respective U-shaped arms 6 and 8 that the forward legs 52; and 35' of the U-shaped arms extend in an upward direction and in spaced relation to a point at least parallel to the slots lit and it? contained in the upper portion 3% of the holder 2.

Although, as suggested above, the holder 2 may be formed from any suitable material, and preferably from i a plastic, it is to be understood that the material should inherently be sufficiently elastic to permit some outward bending of the rms 6 and 8 with respect to the rear por tion 4 during insertion of a bow within the holder and so as to also provide for at least limited spring-type gripping of the bow, or handle section thereof, by the arms.

After reading the foregoing detailed description, it should be apparent that the objects set forth at the outset of this specification have been successfully achieved, and that the invention provides a bow holder adapted to support a bow adjacent a sportsmans body whereby both 4 of the sportsmans hands are free for use. It should also be apparent that such holder can be easily and inexpensively manufactured, and that various modifications can be made thereto, other than those suggested specifically hereinabove, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, what is claimed is:

A bow holder adapted to support a bow adjacent a sportsmans body whereby both of the sportsmans hands are free for use, said how holder comprising:

(a) an integral U-shaped plate member fabricated of resilient plastic;

(b) said plate member having a continuous upper portion arched transversely of the vertical axis thereof to conform to the waist contour of a sportsman;

(c) a pair of U-shaped arms disposed at opposite ends of said upper portion and depending therefrom to define the lower portion of said plate member;

(d) each of said U-shaped arms being formedof an inner leg, an outer leg spaced therefrom and a bight portion connecting said inner and outer legs together;

(e) said inner legs being integrally affixed to said upper portion and said outer legs thus being spaced outwardly of said upper portion;

' (f) said'upper portion having spaced slots therein for coupling said bow holder to a belt disposed in sur rounding relation to the sportsmans waist;

(g) said upper portion having a lateral extent sufilcienti that said U-shapcd arms at the ends thereof are spaced apart by a distance at least substantially as great as the width of a sportsmans hand whereby said sportsman can facilely introduce and remove a bow from said holder while it is being worn in coupled relation to his belt;

(h) said outer legs being spaced from said inner legs by said bight portions to form bow receiving re cesses at the base of said U-shaped arms;

(1') one of said bight portions having a length greater than the other of said bight portions whereby one of said recesses has a spacing which is greater in width than the other of said recesses to thus .permit said bow to be accommodated with its portions of various thicknesses being properly received within the correspondingly sized recesses;

(j) said outer legs extending upward from said bight portions to a height at which the terminal ends thereon are disposed oppositely of said slots; and

(k) said outer legs curving inwardly above said bight portions and then curving outwardly at their terminal ends to permit said how to be readily introduced into said holder and to besnugly retained therein due to the resiliency of the plastic of said arms which causes the inwardly curved portions of said outer legs to extend over said how as said how is resting within the recesses in said holder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 672,540 Speir Apr. 23, 1901 1,270,158 Hill June 18, 1918 2,665,830 Fowler Ian. 12, 1954 2,985,349 McGuire May 23, 1961 3,022,898 Loeb Feb. 27, 1962 

